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No Limits: Vancouver Outspends Toronto

With almost $5 million spent on the 2008 civic election, Vancouver has set a new Canadian record for campaign spending. The city`s four successful civic parties filed their campaign finance disclosures with city hall on March 16 revealing how much they spent and who funded last fall's election.

And that's just what is officially disclosed. The final figures reported to the city clerk's office do not include the unreported nomination spending by the Non-Partisan Association's Sam Sullivan or Vision Vancouver's Allan De Genova. The spending by these two failed candidates is estimated to range anywhere from an additional $400,000 to $800,000, easily boosting civic election spending over $14 per voter.

In other provinces, spending and campaign contribution limits are a long-established practice at the municipal level. Strict campaign finance limits for civic elections have been in a place for over a decade in Ontario, making campaigns in the major cities – Toronto, Ottawa and Mississauga – far more equitable than what we experience here.

Vancouver elections are much more expensive on a per capita basis than similar elections in Toronto. There campaign spending is strictly regulated and the parties spent an average of $5.13 trying to win over each voter. In contrast, parties here in the "Wild West" face no campaign spending limits, and during the last Vancouver civic election they spent an average of $12.29 per voter – a new Canadian record for campaign spending.

City

Toronto

Vancouver

Election year

2006

2008

Number of eligible voters

1,437,335

403,663

Election spending limit

$7,366,807.00*

$4,959,299.50**

Number of candidates

168***

54

Spending per voter

$5.13

$12.29

*based on maximum spending limits in 2006 Toronto election campaign
**Vancouver has no spending limit so we've used the total election spending figures reported publicly
***assumes a two-person competitive race for mayor and in all wards for Toronto city council and school board positions

Correction: Think City incorrectly reported that Calgary and Edmonton have limits on campaign spending and contributions in the March 12 edition of the Think City Minute. Like BC, Alberta has no rules governing municipal campaign financing.